Conceived as part of the overall Spencer Dock Development, located on a site adjacent to the Royal Canal between North Wall Quay and Mayor Street, the Convention Centre embodies a well considered program of conference facilities designed to attract the international conference and associated exhibitions market to Dublin.

This year's pavilion is the 11th commission in the Gallery's annual series. It is Zumthor's first completed building in the UK and includes a specially created garden by the influential Dutch designer Piet Oudolf.

Much of today's Plaza de España and the cargo docks of the Muelle de Enlace is reclaimed land anchored in the steep drop of the Atlantic Coast. Anything that is constructed there is essentially an additional crust, a new layer superimposed on what is for the most part landfill.

The competition for the Munch Area in the Bjorvika neighborhood involved an opportunity to develop a complete city fragment, with the Munch Museum as the focus, in an enclave soon due to become essential for Oslo's life and image.